18-wheeler accident lawyer, Dallas
Truck crash in Dallas? We used to work for the other side.
LAWBOSS – Harris, Nelsen & Uvalle, PLLC handles truck and 18-wheeler crash cases from our Dallas office. Responsible attorney: Michael Uvalle.
No Fees or Costs Unless We Win: the firm advances case costs, and you owe no attorney’s fee and no case costs unless money is recovered for you.
- Federal trucking rules, section by section
- Preservation letters sent early
- Attorneys who came from the insurance side
- No Fees or Costs Unless We Win
Free case review, any hour
- 4.7Google rating, Dallas officeFrom 2,674 reviews, read November 2026
- Former insurance insidersFive of our attorneys came from the insurance side
- No Fees or Costs Unless We WinFree consultationThe firm advances case costs, and you owe no attorney’s fee and no case costs unless money is recovered for you.
- Open 24 hoursOur Dallas line answers day and night
Truck cases we handle
Six places a Dallas truck case starts
Each page goes deeper than this one: who can be held responsible, which federal rules apply, and what the first weeks look like.
Truck accident lawyer
How we run a truck case from the first call to the claim.
Who is responsible
Driver, carrier, owner, shipper, broker, repair shop.
Trucking company records
Logs, driver files and maintenance, rule by rule.
Truck wrecks on Dallas roads
I-35E, I-30, LBJ and US 75, with TxDOT figures.
Semi truck crash types
Jackknife, underride, wide turns, blowouts, cargo.
After a truck crash
What to do in the first days, and what to keep.
Federal rules
The rules the trucking company has to follow
Texas applies the federal motor carrier safety rules to commercial trucks (Transportation Code 644.051). Each rule below is a record we can ask for, and a standard the company can be measured against.
- 49 CFR 395.3
Hours of service
After 10 hours off duty a trucker may drive at most 11 hours, may not drive after the 14th hour on duty, needs a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and stops at 60 hours in 7 days or 70 in 8.
Why it matters: A tired driver is a common thread in truck crashes, and the hours are written down.
- 49 CFR 395.8
Electronic logs
Duty status is recorded by an electronic logging device, and the carrier must keep the records and supporting documents for at least 6 months.
Why it matters: Six months is not long. This is why our preservation letter goes out early.
- 49 CFR 392.3
Fatigued or ill drivers
A driver may not drive while too tired or ill to drive safely, and the carrier may not require or permit it.
Why it matters: The rule reaches the company, not only the driver.
- 49 CFR 392.4 and 392.5
Drugs and alcohol
No driver may be on duty under the influence of Schedule I drugs, amphetamines or narcotics, and no alcohol within 4 hours before going on duty or while on duty.
Why it matters: Post-crash testing records can matter as much as the police report.
5 more rules
- 49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82
Texting and hand-held phones
A commercial driver may not text while driving or use a hand-held phone, and the carrier may not allow or require it.
Why it matters: Phone records and dispatch messages can show what the driver was doing.
- 49 CFR 391.11 and 391.51
Driver qualification
An interstate driver must be at least 21, and the carrier must keep a driver qualification file on every driver it uses.
Why it matters: The file shows what the company knew about the driver before the crash.
- 49 CFR 396.3
Inspection and maintenance
Carriers must systematically inspect, repair and maintain every truck and trailer they control.
Why it matters: Brakes, tires and lights leave a paper trail when they are serviced, and when they are not.
- 49 CFR 393.100
Cargo securement
Cargo must be contained, immobilized or secured so it cannot shift, leak, spill or fall from the truck.
Why it matters: A spilled or shifted load can point to the shipper or loader as well as the carrier.
- CPRC 72.052 to 72.054
Texas truck trials
In a Texas commercial vehicle case the company may ask for a trial in two phases: compensatory damages first, exemplary damages second. Evidence of a broken safety rule comes into the first phase only if it tends to show the breach caused the injury.
Why it matters: It changes how evidence is gathered from the first week, so we build the cause of the crash, not only the rule broken.
Read on eCFR and the Texas statutes site, November 2026. Plain-English summaries; the text of each rule controls.
Our edge
We used to sit on the other side of the table
Our founder, Michael Uvalle, worked for several of the largest insurance companies in Texas before he became a lawyer. He started this firm on what he learned there.
Read our story
Five LAWBOSS attorneys came to the firm from the insurance side: Michael Uvalle, Jonathan Harris, Ian Nelsen, Howard Hill and Joseph Massey. Between them they have handled claims as adjusters and defended them as insurance company lawyers. We call it the Insurance Insider Advantage, and in a truck case it shows up early.
- We know what a carrier’s claim team asks you on the first call, and why. Talk to us before you give a recorded statement.
- We know which records exist inside a motor carrier because the federal rules require them, and how long each one is kept.
- We use that knowledge to anticipate the other side’s moves, never to promise an outcome. Every case turns on its own facts.
The first days
What happens after you call
A truck case turns on records that start disappearing within months. So the first days follow a set order.
You call, any hour
We listen, ask where and when it happened, and tell you what to keep. The consultation is free.
The preservation letter
We send the carrier a written demand to keep its logs, dashcam video, truck data, inspections and driver file.
The investigation
We pull the crash report, look at the scene, and request the ELD records, maintenance files and driver qualification file.
The claim
With the evidence in hand we present the claim to every insurer involved and, if it is not resolved, file suit in time.
Your Dallas attorneys
The Dallas attorneys on your case
Responsible attorney for this website: Michael Uvalle, founder and partner attorney. Primary practice location: Dallas.
Michael Uvalle
Founder and partner attorney; worked for several of the largest insurance companies in Texas
Rolando Reyna, Jr.
Attorney, pre-litigation, Dallas office
Joseph Massey
Attorney, Dallas office; former workers’ compensation adjuster and manager
Michael Uvalle worked for several of the largest insurance companies in Texas before he became a lawyer, and founded the firm that is now LAWBOSS – Harris, Nelsen & Uvalle, PLLC. He is the attorney responsible for this website, and he practices from our Dallas office on Spring Valley Road.
The firm’s motto is Work Hard and Do Right. In a truck case that means doing the slow work early: the letter, the records, the questions the carrier would rather not answer.
LAWBOSS – Harris, Nelsen & Uvalle, PLLC. Offices in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Dallas freight corridors
Where Dallas truck traffic runs heaviest
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute ranks the most congested road segments in the state every year. Congestion is not a crash statistic, but it is where trucks and cars share the least room.
Stemmons Freeway, I-35E
From SH 183 to I-30, 12th on the 2025 Texas list of most congested segments (TTI).
R.L. Thornton Freeway, I-30
From the Jefferson Viaduct to East Grand Avenue, 11th on the same list.
LBJ Freeway, I-635
I-35E to US 75 ranks 14th, and US 75 to Garland Avenue ranks 35th.
3 more Dallas facts
US 75, Central Expressway
LBJ to Northwest Highway ranks 16th; in Plano, Legacy Drive to the Bush Turnpike ranks 30th.
Dallas County, 2024
46,257 crashes, 331 people killed and 1,648 seriously injured (TxDOT crash records).
Level I trauma care
Parkland Memorial Hospital and Baylor University Medical Center are designated Level I trauma centers (Texas DSHS).
Towns we serve from the Dallas office
- Dallas
- Irving
- Garland
- Mesquite
- Grand Prairie
- Richardson
- Carrollton
- Plano
- Arlington
- DeSoto
Our Dallas office
5001 Spring Valley Rd Ste 240W, Dallas, TX 75244
Open 24 hours
Why it is different
Why an 18-wheeler case is not a car case
A crash between two cars usually comes down to two drivers, two insurance policies and a police report. A crash with an 18-wheeler brings in a business regulated by the federal government, one that is required to keep records about its driver and its truck, and one whose insurer usually has a claims team on the file within hours. That is why a truck accident lawyer in Dallas starts with the company, not only the driver.
Keep reading
More than one party can share the fault. The driver, the motor carrier, the owner of the tractor or the trailer, the shipper that loaded the cargo, a freight broker and a repair shop can each play a part. Our page for a truck accident attorney in Dallas goes through each of them and what makes each one responsible under Texas law.
The evidence is different too. A loaded tractor-trailer carries an electronic logging device that records duty status, often an engine control module, and sometimes forward and driver-facing cameras. The carrier holds the driver qualification file, inspection and maintenance records, dispatch messages and the bills of lading. Federal rules require much of it, which is why a trucking accident lawyer in Dallas can ask for it by name.
- Hours of service under 49 CFR 395.3 limit how long a trucker may drive and be on duty.
- Duty records under 49 CFR 395.8 must be kept at least 6 months, then they may be discarded.
- Maintenance under 49 CFR 396.3 must be systematic, and the records show whether it was.
Texas law
The Texas law that shapes a truck claim
Texas gives you two years from the day of the crash to file suit for personal injury, and two years from the date of death for a wrongful death claim (Civil Practice and Remedies Code 16.003). Two years sounds long. In a truck case it is not, because the records that prove what happened can be gone in six months.
Keep reading
Texas uses modified comparative fault. You may recover damages if you are 50 percent or less responsible for the crash, and your recovery is reduced by your own percentage (CPRC 33.001 and 33.012). A trucking company’s lawyers know this rule well, and they often try to move part of the blame onto you or onto a “responsible third party” they designate under CPRC 33.004. A defendant found more than 50 percent responsible can be held jointly and severally liable (CPRC 33.013).
Texas also has its own trial rules for commercial vehicle cases. Since 2021, Chapter 72 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code lets the company ask for a trial in two phases, and limits when evidence of a broken safety rule comes in. If the company admits the driver was its employee acting in the scope of the job, some negligence claims against the company itself can be limited in the first phase. We read every case with those rules in mind from day one.
In brief
Two years to sue, six months for logs, and a 51 percent bar on fault. No Fees or Costs Unless We Win. The firm advances case costs, and you owe no attorney’s fee and no case costs unless money is recovered for you.
The first week
What the insurer does in the first week, and what we do
The carrier’s insurer usually moves first. Someone may call you within days, friendly and quick, asking for a recorded statement or offering to help with the car. That first call is part of their investigation. Because several of our attorneys used to work on that side, we tell clients plainly: you do not have to give the trucking company’s insurer a recorded statement, and it is wise to talk to a lawyer first.
Keep reading
While they build their file, we build ours. We send the preservation letter, request the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (form CR-3) that the investigating officer must file with TxDOT within 10 days (Transportation Code 550.062), and look at the scene before it changes. If the crash happened on one of the busy Dallas corridors, our page for a truck wreck lawyer in Dallas explains what the roads and the TxDOT numbers tell us.
We then sort the crash by what happened. A jackknife, an underride, a wide right turn, a tire blowout and a cargo spill each point to different records and different parties. Our semi truck accident lawyer Dallas page walks through each type and the rule behind it.
Through all of it you pay nothing up front. The firm advances the costs of the case, and you owe no attorney’s fee and no case costs unless money is recovered for you. Our Dallas team answers the phone 24 hours a day, so you can start tonight.
Talk to a lawyer tonight
Our Dallas line is answered every hour of every day. The first conversation is free and confidential.
No Fees or Costs Unless We Win: the firm advances case costs, and you owe no attorney’s fee and no case costs unless money is recovered for you.
Questions
Questions about 18-wheeler crashes in Dallas
How long do I have to file a truck accident claim in Texas?
Generally two years from the day of the crash to file suit for personal injury, and two years from the date of death for a wrongful death claim (CPRC 16.003). A claim against a government vehicle needs written notice within six months (CPRC 101.101). The trucking company’s duty records may only be kept six months, so it is better not to wait.
Should I talk to the trucking company’s insurance adjuster?
You can be polite and take their name and claim number, but you do not have to give a recorded statement. Our attorneys who worked on the insurance side know why that call is made early. Talk to a lawyer first.
Who can be responsible for an 18-wheeler crash?
The driver, the motor carrier, the owner of the tractor or trailer, the shipper or loader, a freight broker and a repair shop can each share the fault, depending on the facts. See who is responsible after a truck crash.
What if I was partly at fault?
Under Texas law you can still recover if you are 50 percent or less responsible, and your recovery is reduced by your own share (CPRC 33.001 and 33.012). Insurers often argue about the percentage, which is why the evidence matters.
What does it cost to hire LAWBOSS?
The consultation is free. No Fees or Costs Unless We Win: the firm advances case costs, and you owe no attorney’s fee and no case costs unless money is recovered for you. The written fee agreement sets out the terms.
How do I get the crash report?
The investigating officer files a Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report with TxDOT within 10 days. People involved, their representatives and the insurers can buy a copy for a small fee through TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System at cris.txdot.gov. We can get it for you.
Who is the attorney responsible for this website?
Michael Uvalle, founder and partner attorney of LAWBOSS – Harris, Nelsen & Uvalle, PLLC. His primary practice location is the firm’s Dallas office.
Free case review
Tell us what happened
Four short answers are enough to start. Someone from our Dallas office will call you back, any hour.
What helps us start
- Where and when the crash happened, as near as you know it
- Photos, and the company name on the truck if you saw it
- The crash report number, if an officer gave you one
- Who was hurt and where they were treated
No Fees or Costs Unless We Win: the firm advances case costs, and you owe no attorney’s fee and no case costs unless money is recovered for you.
Hit by an 18-wheeler in Dallas? Talk to a lawyer tonight.
Free consultation, any hour. Responsible attorney: Michael Uvalle, Dallas office.